Trump said Italy has been of “no help” to US.
Donald Trump has threatened to pull American troops out of Italy, saying the country had not been helpful to the United States, in the latest escalation of tensions between Washington and its NATO allies over the ongoing war with Iran.
Asked on Thursday whether he would consider withdrawing American forces from Italy and Spain, the US president replied: “Probably… Look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us”. Trump also hit out at Spain which he said “has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
The remarks came a day after Trump announced that his administration was looking at reducing the number of military personnel in Germany, and they form part of a broader threat to reshape the American military presence across Europe.
Diplomatic rift
At the centre of the dispute is Italy’s position on the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began on 28 February.
Trump has accused Meloni of refusing to engage on the issue and of expecting the US to act on her behalf.
“She simply says Italy doesn’t want to be involved,” he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last month: “She thinks America should do the work for her.”
“I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he told the paper, adding that he was “shocked” by Meloni, who until then been seen as among his closest allies in Europe.
Trump then ramped up his criticism with a social media post containing a reference to Italy denying US aircraft carrying weapons the use of Sigonella air base in Sicily, with the blunt message: “Italy wasn’t there for us, we won’t be there for them!”
NATO
Trump has harshly criticised NATO allies for failing to send their navies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely blocked to global shipping since the conflict began, and has said he is considering withdrawing the US from the alliance altogether.
An internal Pentagon document, reported by Reuters last week, outlined options for punishing NATO allies deemed to have failed to support US operations against Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance.
Trump also threatened last month to impose a full trade embargo on Spain after Madrid refused to allow the US military to use Spanish bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
US bases in Italy
According to US defence department data from December 2025, there were more than 68,000 active-duty American military personnel permanently based across Europe, with more than half stationed in Germany.
The US has significant military installations in Italy as well, including air bases and naval facilities that form a central part of NATO’s southern flank.
American bases in Italy were established starting in 1951 thanks to a series of bilateral agreements between Rome and Washington, under which Italy granted its territory to the US armed forces. The bases fall under Italian sovereignty, while the US retains operational control.
There are currently around 13,000 American soldiers on Italian soil, engaged in various capacities in logistics, intelligence, operational units and command.
The bases are divided into NATO bases managed by the alliance, Italian bases made available to NATO, and bases under shared command between Italy, the US and NATO.
The NATO bases are Sigonella in Sicily, Aviano in Friuli, Caserma Ederle and Base Del Din in Veneto, Camp Darby in Tuscany, the Naval Support Activity in Campania and Lazio, and Ghedi in Lombardia.
Crosetto responds
The Italian government’s response toTrump’s remarks came from defence minister Guido Crosetto.
“I don’t understand the reasons” – Crosetto told news agency ANSA on Thursday – “As is obvious to everyone, we didn’t use Hormuz. And we also made ourselves available for a mission to protect shipping. This was greatly appreciated by the American military.”
Photo credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com
